Latest news with #RebeccaCunningham
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
University of Minnesota says graduate student was detained by ICE
A graduate student at the University of Minnesota was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Thursday at an off-campus residence, the school said in a statement. Friday's statement — signed by President Rebecca Cunningham, Vice President for Student Affairs Calvin Phillips and Vice President for Equity and Diversity Mercedes Ramírez Fernández — called the situation 'deeply concerning.' The international student is enrolled in the Twin Cities campus, the school said. The university said it did not have further information or more details on the situation. It also said it had no prior knowledge that the detention was happening and did not share any information with federal agents beforehand. The school did not release the student's name. The student's nationality and visa type and status were unavailable. Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security responded to requests for comment Saturday evening. 'It is important to note that our campus departments of public safety, including UMPD, do not enforce federal immigration laws, and our officers do not inquire about an individual's immigration status,' the UMN statement said. 'Their focus remains on public safety, fostering trust and maintaining strong relationships across the University community.' Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Friday that he had been in touch with DHS to get information, and added that he would share more when he could. 'The University of Minnesota is an international destination for education and research. We have any number of students studying here with visas, and we need answers,' Walz said on X. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called the student's detainment 'deeply troubling' in a post on X. 'Educational environments must be places where all students can focus on learning and growing without fear,' Frey said. This latest arrest comes on the heels of other arrests of international students at American universities. Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia University who led student protests at the New York school last spring, was arrested by federal immigration agents earlier this month and was told his student visa was being revoked. Khalil, a legal permanent resident of the United States, was accused of supporting Hamas, a designated terrorist organization. A lawyer of his rejected the claim, saying there is no evidence Khalil provided support of any kind to a terrorist organization. Khalil is being held in federal custody in Louisiana after U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman ruled he cannot be deported 'to preserve the court's jurisdiction' as it weighs a filing challenging his arrest and planned deportation. Rumeysa Ozturk, a graduate student at Tufts University who is a Turkish national in the U.S. on what her attorney said was a valid student visa, was similarly arrested by federal immigration agents Tuesday and is also being held in Louisiana. Her arrest was caught on video, with Ozturk's lawyer saying she was on her way to meet friends for iftar, a meal that breaks the day-time fast observed by Muslims during Ramadan, when she was arrested. A court order Friday blocked Ozturk's deportation while U.S. District Judge Denise Casper determines whether she has jurisdiction over the case. An Iranian doctoral student at the University of Alabama, Alireza Doroudi, and a Russian medical researcher at Harvard University, Kseniia Petrova, were both detained by immigration agents this week as well. This article was originally published on
NBC News
30-03-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
University of Minnesota says graduate student was detained by ICE
A graduate student at the University of Minnesota was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Thursday at an off-campus residence, the school said in a statement. Friday's statement — signed by President Rebecca Cunningham, Vice President for Student Affairs Calvin Phillips and Vice President for Equity and Diversity Mercedes Ramírez Fernández — called the situation 'deeply concerning.' The international student is enrolled in the Twin Cities campus, the school said. The university said it did not have further information or more details on the situation. It also said it had no prior knowledge that the detention was happening and did not share any information with federal agents beforehand. The school did not release the student's name. The student's nationality and visa type and status were unavailable. Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security responded to requests for comment Saturday evening. 'It is important to note that our campus departments of public safety, including UMPD, do not enforce federal immigration laws, and our officers do not inquire about an individual's immigration status,' the UMN statement said. 'Their focus remains on public safety, fostering trust and maintaining strong relationships across the University community.' Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Friday that he had been in touch with DHS to get information, and added that he would share more when he could. 'The University of Minnesota is an international destination for education and research. We have any number of students studying here with visas, and we need answers,' Walz said on X. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called the student's detainment 'deeply troubling' in a post on X. 'Educational environments must be places where all students can focus on learning and growing without fear,' Frey said. This latest arrest comes on the heels of other arrests of international students at American universities. Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia University who led student protests at the New York school last spring, was arrested by federal immigration agents earlier this month and was told his student visa was being revoked. Khalil, a legal permanent resident of the United States, was accused of supporting Hamas, a designated terrorist organization. A lawyer of his rejected the claim, saying there is no evidence Khalil provided support of any kind to a terrorist organization. Khalil is being held in federal custody in Louisiana after U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman ruled he cannot be deported 'to preserve the court's jurisdiction' as it weighs a filing challenging his arrest and planned deportation. Rumeysa Ozturk, a graduate student at Tufts University who is a Turkish national in the U.S. on what her attorney said was a valid student visa, was similarly arrested by federal immigration agents Tuesday and is also being held in Louisiana. Her arrest was caught on video, with Ozturk's lawyer saying she was on her way to meet friends for iftar, a meal that breaks the day-time fast observed by Muslims during Ramadan, when she was arrested. A court order Friday blocked Ozturk's deportation while U.S. District Judge Denise Casper determines whether she has jurisdiction over the case. An Iranian doctoral student at the University of Alabama, Alireza Doroudi, and a Russian medical researcher at Harvard University, Kseniia Petrova, were both detained by immigration agents this week as well.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
ICE detains University of Minnesota international student
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained a University of Minnesota international graduate student earlier this week, according to the institution, calling it a 'deeply concerning situation.' The university said that an international graduate student was arrested by ICE officials at an off-campus residence Thursday. The student was enrolled in the school's Twin Cities campus, located in Minneapolis. 'We are actively working to gather more details about this incident,' University president Rebecca Cunningham said in a Friday press release that was also signed by Vice President for Student Affairs Calvin Phillips and Vice President for Equity and Diversity Mercedes Ramírez Fernández. 'In cases like this, the University takes steps to ensure students are connected to internal resources and support, such as Student Legal Service and International Student and Scholar Services,' they said in the update. 'The University had no prior knowledge of this incident and did not share any information with federal authorities before it occurred.' The Hill has reached out to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security for comment. The school did not share the student's name. The student was enrolled in the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management. 'In the current climate, detentions like these deeply affect our community. From the very beginning of the University's business school, our doors have been open to international students,' Carlson's School of Management Dean Jamie Darin Prenkert said in Friday's message to students, faculty and staff. 'Faculty, staff, and scholars hailing from different countries have strengthened our research and classrooms—shaping us into the Carlson School we are today,' Prenkert added. The Thursday arrest in Minnesota comes as President Trump's administration has intensified its crackdown on foreign students and faculty who have engaged in pro-Palestine protests or have shown support for the Palestinian cause. ICE has gone after at least eight international students of faculty members at various institutions. All of them were in the U.S. on a green card or student visa. A minimum of 300 international students had their visas revoked since the crackdown accelerate upon Trump's return to the Oval Office, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 'Maybe more, it might be more than 300 at this point,' Rubio said on Thursday. 'We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa,' the nation's top diplomat added. 'I hope at some point we run out because we have gotten rid of all of them, but we're looking every day for these lunatics that are tearing things up.' One of University of Alabama's doctoral students, Iranian national Alireza Doroudi, was detained Tuesday. The same day, ICE agents detained Tufts University international student Rumeysa Ozturk, who is a Turkish national. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
29-03-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
ICE detains University of Minnesota international student
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained a University of Minnesota international graduate student earlier this week, according to the institution, calling it a 'deeply concerning situation.' The university said that an international graduate student was arrested by ICE officials at an off-campus residence Thursday. The student was enrolled in the school's Twin Cities campus, located in Minneapolis. 'We are actively working to gather more details about this incident,' University president Rebecca Cunningham said in a Friday press release that was also signed by Vice President for Student Affairs Calvin Phillips and Vice President for Equity and Diversity Mercedes Ramírez Fernández. 'In cases like this, the University takes steps to ensure students are connected to internal resources and support, such as Student Legal Service and International Student and Scholar Services,' they said in the update. 'The University had no prior knowledge of this incident and did not share any information with federal authorities before it occurred.' The Hill has reached out to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security for comment. The school did not share the student's name. The student was enrolled in the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management. 'In the current climate, detentions like these deeply affect our community. From the very beginning of the University's business school, our doors have been open to international students,' Carlson's School of Management Dean Jamie Darin Prenkert said in Friday's message to students, faculty and staff. 'Faculty, staff, and scholars hailing from different countries have strengthened our research and classrooms—shaping us into the Carlson School we are today,' Prenkert added. The Thursday arrest in Minnesota comes as President Trump's administration has intensified its crackdown on foreign students and faculty who have engaged in pro-Palestine protests or have shown support for the Palestinian cause. ICE has gone after a t least eight international students of faculty members at various institutions. All of them were in the U.S. on a green card or student visa. A minimum of 300 international students had their visas revoked since the crackdown accelerate upon Trump's return to the Oval Office, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 'Maybe more, it might be more than 300 at this point,' Rubio said on Thursday. 'We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa,' the nation's top diplomat added. 'I hope at some point we run out because we have gotten rid of all of them, but we're looking every day for these lunatics that are tearing things up.' One of University of Alabama's doctoral students, Iranian national Alireza Doroudi, was detained Tuesday. The same day, ICE agents detained Tufts University international student Rumeysa Ozturk, who is a Turkish national.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Graduate Student At Carlson School Detained By ICE
A rule modification by Immigration and Customs Enforcement has some business schools and their parent universities scrambling to ensure there international student pipelines remain uninterrupted. ICE photo An international student in a graduate program at the Carlson School of Management has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials on Thursday. The unnamed student, possibly from Turkey, was taken from an off-campus residence, according to the University of Minnesota. It is unclear if the student was in the school's MBA program or one of its six specialty master's programs that range from accountancy to business analytics. Some 26% of the students. in Carlson's MBA program are international. In an email to the campus community,University President Rebecca Cunningham and two other university officials made the announcement of the detainment. Carlson School Dean Jamie Prenkert sent a separate email to the school's students and staff. 'The University had no prior knowledge of this incident and did not share any information with federal authorities before it occurred,' according to the university email. 'It is important to note that our campus departments of public safety, including UMPD, do not enforce federal immigration laws, and our officers do not inquire about an individual's immigration status.' Only days earlier, a Turkish national and doctoral student at Tufts University was detained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said in a post on X that he had spoken federal Homeland Security officials and that he will share what he's learned. 'The University of Minnesota is an international destination for education and research. We have any number of students studying here with visas, and we need answers,' Walz wrote. DON'T MISS: The post Graduate Student At Carlson School Detained By ICE appeared first on Poets&Quants.
